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Post by guillaume on Oct 18, 2011 13:44:15 GMT
As the same time as the Irish Presidential Election, the good Irish People will have to answer two questions during a referendum. I am intrigued regarding the second question : " This referendum proposes to give the Houses of the Oireachtas (the Dáil and Seanad) express power to conduct inquiries into matters of general public importance and, in doing so, to make findings of fact about any person’s conduct.I am just wondering IF this addition to the Constitution will involve more or less inquiries regarding Church clerics child abuses AND so maybe, indirectly, the seal of confession ?
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Post by hibernicus on Oct 18, 2011 20:54:05 GMT
Not necessarily - it relates to the general question of the ability of Dail committees to conduct enquiries, which the courts have found to be limited by the constituion. The special commissions which were set up to investigate the various church scandals were not Oireachtas committees so would not be affected by this. The amendment is extremely iffy in my opinion, because it amounts to saying that the Oireachtas can conduct enquiries without regard to legal procedure, the constitution, or the courts - in fact that they can make up the rules as they go along without being accountable to anyone. (Where have we heard that before?)
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